IMPROV YOU... Batt and Kessler launch new improvisational school

Tuesday

Sep 28, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 28, 2010 at 8:19 AM

(Caption: Comedian-actor Josh Kessler, right, with Vicki Andronis in a January 2010 production of Maybe Tomorrow, one of five short new plays in Cow Tipping and Other Love Stories. Credit: O.G. Productions)

Improv you! That's not an expletive but an ecouragement. Veteran Columbus performer-directors Andy Batt and Josh Kessler have launched a new project: Improv You, a new improvisation school in Columbus.

(Caption: Comedian-actor Josh Kessler, right, with Vicki Andronis in a January 2010 production of Maybe Tomorrow, one of five short new plays in Cow Tipping and Other Love Stories. Credit: O.G. Productions)

Improv you! That's not an expletive but an ecouragement. Veteran Columbus performer-directors Andy Batt and Josh Kessler have launched a new project: Improv You, a new improvisation school in Columbus.

(Caption: Andy Batt, right, with Morgan Stuntz in a 2004 production by Madlab Theatre of The Cliffhangers Series: The Seven Deadly Sins Credit: MadLab)

Both theater veterans are closely associated with MadLab. In fact, Batt is directing and Kessler is playing several roles in Cabfare for the Common Man, a collection of seven short romantic comedies that opens tonight (Sept. 30) at MadLab for a month-long run.

Batt and Kessler, who each have more than 10 years of improv experience, will begin holding classes on Saturdays, starting Oct. 16 at MadLab Theatre & Gallery. Four courses will be required to graduate, and classes are open to all adults regardless of previous improv experience.

Improv is quite different from traditional acting, and therefore requires specific training. Improv, or improvisation, is a type of performance art that revolves around creating something from nothing (or next to nothing), Kessler and Batt said. Improv can be used to hone acting and/or personal/professional communication skills. It can be used just as an exercise or teaching tool or as a full-fledged performance art form. The styles of improv vary as much as the people that perform it. Improv can be comedic, dramatic, or both, but it should always be honest to the given situation, just like real life. "It’s pretty much all up to you as to where you would like to take it!"

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS Batt has been performing and coaching improv for over 10 years. He attended Second City Cleveland and was trained under Chris Lane, founder of Columbus’ improv troupe Full Frontal Nudity. Today, Andy coaches Full Frontal Nudity, Columbus’ only long-form improv troupe and the longest standing troupe in Central Ohio. In addition to being an improvisational artist, Andy is also an accomplished actor, writer, director and has served as MadLab Theatre’s Managing Director since 2002. To contact Andy, please email andy@improvyou.org. Kessler has over 13 years of experience as an improvateur. During that time, he has worked with the Babbling Bishops, Headless Horse, and Off the Wall, and is currently a member of Full Frontal Nudity. He has led improvisational workshops for at-risk youth through the Delaware County Juvenile Court, co-directed Full Frontal Nudity’s productions of Looking for Love and FFN in Spaaace, served as the coach for Squishy! Improv, and taught acting classes through John Casablancas Modeling and Career Centers. Josh has also appeared locally in multiple productions at MadLab Theatre and Gallery and nationally as the host of the game show “Dash for Dollars”. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and is a member of both the MadLab Artistic Council and the MadLab Ensemble. To contact Josh, please email josh@improvyou.org

IF YOU GO Improv You will offer classes on Saturdays at MadLab Theatre and Gallery, 227 N. 3rd St. Each course costs $120 and runs for 6 weeks. Class times will depend upon enrollment. To register or for more information, call Batt at 614-571-3886 or visit www.improvyou.org

For more information about MadLab's Cabfare for the Common Man, check out today's Weekender feature (Sept. 30), which includes an interview with the Los Angeles playwright and others or visit www.madlab.net

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